Backwards Soul
by decipher
Summary: What happens when your soul turns against you? Egon is undergoing some soulful changes, and Janine and the guys are experiencing the backlash from it.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Ok, first things first I don't own RGB (I really wished I did, because Egon & Janine would have been together [married?? on the show and we all could have avoided the whole Slimer and friends episodes altogether.) Sony/Columbia is their mom and pop. I write for my own personal release therapy. So here we go…

Backwards Soul

By: Decipher

Chapter 1

Another grueling day had come and gone and the resident secretary of the Ghostbusters, Janine Melnitz was ready to call it a day. She had been busy all day, unable to take a moment or two to even think about her beloved physicist Egon Spengler. Calls were coming in back to back, and to make matters worse the computer crashed just as she was cataloging some old files. "I can't believe this!" Janine screamed out loud. She glared an evil look at the computer that betrayed her, not the first time this has happened.

Janine knew immediately that she was going to give Dr. Venkman an earful the next time she saw him. "I swear that man can be so cheap at times," she said.

Just as she was getting ready to gather up her things for the day, she heard the sound of Ecto-1's engine and thought she better wait and check on the guys. Of course, one particular guy stood out more in her mind than the rest. She glanced up from her desk to see the guys coming out from the car one by one with the most disgusted grimaces on their faces. They all looked like they just came from hell and back again, which again would not be first either. Peter Vankman's jumpsuit was reaped in the front and it revealed he had taken a rather hard blow to his chest, because a faint stain of blood was cascading down his jumpsuit. Janine immediately sprung from her desk to appraise the situation closer.

Janine was sincerely concerned over Peter's injuries, and yes it's true that they argued like cats and dogs; what family didn't from time to time? "Are you okay?" she inquired. "Yeah, this right here is nothing; I'll clean it up in a second, but your guy Egon…that's who you need to check on." Peter stated to Janine, while at the same time giving Egon a hard once over glare. She turned her eyes towards Egon and he just seemed to be completely out of it. His focus was on his broken PKE meter and he just kept shaking his head from side to side. He mumbled something that sounded like 'I didn't even see it coming…I didn't even see it… ' and he kept on shaking his head.

"Egon, are you alright?" Janine stated with deep concern in her voice. He just ignored her and kept walking past, as if he didn't hear her question. She was somewhat hurt by the way he just ignored her completely. However, she decided to over look that, because it wasn't in his nature to be so rude, so something must be wrong with him. While, there appeared to be no visible injuries, she had a sense something was really, really wrong. "Egon, do you hear me? Are you okay?" she attempted once more. Still, no response from him, by this time Winston walked up to Egon and placed a hand on his shoulder, and attempted to get his attention. "Hey, man!!! Are you in there? Did you hear Janine talking to you just now?" Winston stated. Egon turned on his heels to face Winston head on, and the look he gave him could have stopped time itself. Winston took in Egon's attitude and took a couple of steps backwards.

"What do you want!!!?" Egon bellowed. He seemed to be annoyed at all of them, for no explainable reason. "What's your problem you've been snapping at everyone, since the last job right after lunch!" Winston retorted. "We're just concerned about you." Ray stated calmly, not wanting to further agitate Egon. "I'm fine, there, ok, satisfied now. If, you'll excuse me, I'll be in my lab, repairing my meter" Egon huffed. He tuned away and headed towards the stairs.

"What the hell is his problem!!!?" Peter exclaimed. He was clearly the most disgusted at Egon's behavior. "We've been dealing with this crap for hours, and I'm tired of it! He needs to get his sh$# together and quick! I'm going to get cleaned up and go out to get a bite to eat for dinner. Maybe by the time I get back, our very own personal Mr. Hyde would have turned back into Dr. Jekyll." Peter shouted his last comment up towards the stairs. "I'll come with you." Winston responded. "Count me in too; I'm not used to Egon acting like this." Ray declared.

Janine was dumbstruck at the events that had just taken place. She had never seen Egon act so nasty to them like that before. It was nothing like him to be so cold and harsh. While the other three men decided to take hands off approach, Janine decided to stick around for a little while longer to get to the bottom of what was going on with Egon. She waited till Peter, Winston, and Ray left for dinner and decided to go upstairs to the lab to check on Egon.

As Janine approached the door of the lab, she was conflicted at whether she should knock on the door, or just come right in. She decided on the latter. She notice Egon had his head down on the table and appeared to be asleep. So, she quietly walked up next to him and got about a foot away from him before he rose up with a sudden start that scared Janine senseless. "Do you need something Ms. Melnitz!!!?" Egon yelled at her. Janine was taken aback by his behavior, but decided she was not going to be detoured by it. "I just wanted to make sure that you were alright? You don't seem to be acting like yourself. Is something wrong, you know you can talk to me?" Janine stated.

Egon had a smirk on his face that made Janine uneasy, he stood up completely and she was acutely reminded of his height advantage over her. She was never before uncomfortable around Egon, but now all of a sudden she wasn't feeling that same level of familiar comfort. He looked down at her in a demeaning manner. He then took a couple of steps towards her to further emphasis his point of superiority over her.

"You really think you know me? How could someone like you even begin to comprehend a person like me? You're so simple. I thought I was rather explicitly clear with everyone downstairs, that I was fine. However, if that was above your head let me make it crystal clear to you. If, there was something wrong with me, I doubt you would be the one who could fix it, or any of you for that matter. I realize you have this school girl crush on me and up till now I've been able to ignore it. But truthfully it's getting on my last nerves. We don't ever stand a chance at becoming anything more than bed buddies, so if that's what you want from me, than we can go at it right here and now on the lab table. But, please don't try and act as if it will lead to something more, because it won't. If, you can deal with these terms lets go for it." Egon stated with a sadistic smirk.

Janine eyes started welling up with tears; it was as if each word of his comments were reaping into her soul. She did not have a clue whom this person was in front of her right now, but it could not be the same person whom she thought she loved and admired for years. The eyes of the person facing her were icy cold blue voids of cynicism and ridicule. Janine felt herself starting to shake, and her mind wanted to state some sort of rebuttal, but her heart wouldn't let her mouth speak.

So, she simply stared Egon up and down and walked out of the lab without saying a word, before any tear drops fell from her eyes. "Too bad, it might have been fun?" Egon announced towards her. Egon smirked inwardly that his comments achieved its objectives and he was free again to be alone in his lab.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Ok, first things first I don't own RGB (I really wished I did, because Egon & Janine would have been together (married?? on the show and we all could have avoided the whole Slimer and friends episodes altogether.) Sony/Columbia is their mom and pop. I write for my own personal release therapy. So here we go…

Backwards Soul

By: Decipher

Chapter 2

The cool night air did little to dampen the hostile mood that Egon's behavior had caused Peter to feel. He walked with a brisk pace, making it difficult for Winston and Ray to keep up. "Man, will you please slow down!" Winston yelled. "I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't let Egon's attitude get to me. I know we're all entitled to have an off day every now and then, but…I have never, ever seen that side of him towards us before and it's just unnerving." Peter stated. "I know that my temper can get a little bit heated from time to time, but to see a person that I've known for years as the dictionary's definition of tranquil turn on a drop of a dime…well, it's like watching a stranger with a familiar face." Peter acknowledged.

"I know what you mean, I haven't known Egon as long as you have, but he has always maintained his composure, except in extreme situations where one of us was being threaten and even than, he remained somewhat level-headed." Winston stated. As they continued down the sidewalk leading to the Mexican restaurant they remained somewhat quite, in a state of retrospective thought from the events of the day. The restaurant had the distinctive style of a typical family run restaurant. The place lacked the high-end décor of a major chain franchise, it was one of those spots that only the locals knew about or someone by chance found out about by word of mouth. Ray waved down the waiter and he led them to their seats.

"Do you think it's possible that his sudden change of attitude is supernaturally induced?" Ray inquired. "He seemed like himself at lunch, maybe the job we did right after that caused him to act that way." Ray continued, as he munched on some chips and salsa. "Then, why didn't any of us see it? I would love to blame this on a supernatural phenomenon, but maybe it's just a case of him finally snapping from being so, damn out of touch with reality!" Peter exclaimed. "He walks around acting like he's so detached of human emotions or feelings, until his back is pushed up against the wall. That sort of denial is extremely unhealthy for long periods of time." Peter continued.

"Well, that last job for the day his focus was off, he missed the reading on that class four. We all know that's not like him. Maybe something was on his mind, or someone." Winston pointed out. He was not in the habit of getting involved with other people's personal lives but, maybe this could be the exception to the rule. He knew from personal experience that the heart could make a person act in strange ways, and Egon's heart was as complicated as it gets, so anything was possible. "You might have a point there Winston, but its not like he's going to admit it, you have a better chance of convincing me to give up women…well, maybe…scratch that!" Peter laughed out loud. There was a roar of laughter from their table and the tension of the day slowly began to unwind.

"Guys the only other time recently that Egon was so rude and out of character was when Janine was dating that sleaze Paul Smarts. He lost his composure when he thought Janine was moving on without him. He's got a jealous streak alright, but it's not like he was giving her anything to believe in either." Ray commented. "I swear I could smack him in the head at times, but that may further his state of denial. But, Janine hasn't been out with anyone since that incident…has she?" Peter asked. "No, not that we've heard about or seen" Winston and Ray replied in unison. "Maybe, we need to go to the horse's mouth and find out for sure. What's Janine's cell phone number?" Peter questioned.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Ok, first things first I don't own RGB (I really wished I did, because Egon & Janine would have been together [married?? on the show and we all could have avoided the whole Slimer and friends episodes altogether.) Sony/Columbia is their mom and pop. I write for my own personal release therapy. So here we go…

Backwards Soul

By: Decipher

Chapter 3

"The surface of events has been initiated as agreed," growled a dark and misty entity. "Good, this should keep him occupied for a while, and at the same time you as well." a voice murmured. The air of conspiracy was in the air as the silent pact was completely sealed and finalized. Demons rarely trusted one another to pact a deal, but this one had advantages for both sides. "How might you precede Tronics?" inquired the mysterious voice. "Well, as you know I have my ways of having fun. Still, this human is rather intricate and different, so he presents some challenges. Nevertheless, he's just a human after all." Tronics boosted.

"Do not underestimate a human's will. That mistake would be foolish and unwise, and I did not do all this planning for not. Take it slow and be methodical in your toying with this one. I have a vested interest that he remains out of my way." explained the voice. Tronics was not one for taking orders; however he realized that he was no match to challenge his co-conspirator. The demon simply replied by darkening its aura and fading out of sight, leaving the mysterious presence to itself.

'Only a minor level demon would misjudge a human's will power. A soul will fight for its true will. I just need to buy some time until I have finalized the process of conversion,' thought the entity. The torching of souls needs to be paced, and the more complex the human the greater care needed. Humans have a tendency to suppress their weaknesses in the name of pride. By hiding their true selves they allow themselves to be exposed and weakened. That is the key in turning a soul against itself. The entity silently waited for the evolving plan to take effect, and resigned itself in Tronics' abilities in buying it more time.

"It's me, Peter. Are you crying? What's wrong?" questioned Peter. "Ask that jerk of a best friend of yours!!!" Janine cried out. Peter's brow knitted as Janine briefly relayed the story to him. "Are you on your way home? We can take our food to go and head over that way right now." Peter replied. "What's wrong with Janine?" exclaimed Winston. Peter held a hand up, as to indicate 'just a second'. Concern was etched on all their faces as they watched Peter's reaction with his conversation with Janine. "Okay, see you in a minute and Janine we'll work this out I promise." he stated.

Peter shouted out to the waiter that their order will be to go. While they waited for their order to be boxed, he went on to explain to Winston and Ray what Janine had told him. He had to admit to himself that he didn't want to believe it was true that Egon could say or do any of those things Janine had just told him. However, between Egon's earlier behavior and Janine hysterical crying on the phone it didn't look good?

They hailed a cab down and headed over to Janine's apartment in Brooklyn. All of them remained in complete silence on the ride over there; each one was too dumbstruck to say anything. When they reached the outside of Janine's apartment, they were all a little hesitant to knock on the door. As, if by simple intuition Janine opened her door, and let them in. Her eyes were swollen and red. Used tissues were piled up on an end table, next to a chair she was sitting in. She looked liked she was truly shaken up, and the guys' hearts were aching for her. She led them to her sofa, and they all were searching for the right words to comfort her.

"Janine, I don't know what to say…All I can say is I'm sorry…really sorry he treated you like that…I just don't know what else to say…" Peter stammered. "You aren't the one that should be giving the apology Dr. V, that's that blond-headed jerk's job." retorted Janine. "Something got to be going on with him more serious, than we ever imagined." Ray responded. "What could have brought this on all of a sudden?" Winston questioned. Each of the guys looked at one another an began to think back on the events of the day once more and none of them could come up with plausible theory.

"I just thought I knew him better, I guess I was so, so wrong. I'm usually able to read a creep a mile away; lately I've been a little off in that department. All these years I been putting myself through hell for a jerk!" Janine shouted. Peter reached for Janine's trembling hand and tried to comfort her, but his efforts were in vain, because she cried even harder after that attempt. "Janine, not to upset you any further, but did you notice the way Egon reacted to that whole episode with…um…" Peter paused. "Paul Smart…well, yeah at first I thought it was my imagination and I was confused by his reaction, but later I was actually hoping that he was a little…jealous." Janine confided.

"Do you think that has anything to do with how he's acting? We never even spoke about that incident with each other. I thought about it afterwards and maybe we should have put the cards on the table and dealt with it. But, I was just too scared he would deny it, and that would have crushed me completely. So, I just went along with the status quo, besides I was still a little too embarrassed by the whole thing anyway." Janine stated.

"Egon's a strange one; trust me I know, but even this I don't get. Yeah, it's possible that this could have triggered some jealous reaction and denial leading to that confrontation, but given my professional opinion that doesn't fall in line with someone of his behavioral pattern. Egon has always been rational and reserved. I think we need to keep an eye on him during the next few days, and see if his behavior becomes a more consistent pattern, or if it's only an isolated issue. If, it's an isolated anomaly, than we can confront him all together and get to the root this problem. "What if it's not Pete?" Ray questioned. "Then, we got a serious problem on our hands." Peter replied with a somber tone.


End file.
